Cleaning tips for your chopping board

In every household there’s one thing you can find in everyone’s kitchen – a chopping board.

Unfortunately, chopping boards quickly wear down and are covered with furrows. That’s why we should clean them thoroughly after every use; otherwise our board will be full of bacteria and other unpleasant substances which are better to avoid. The food particles can get stuck in the channels and may cause food poisoning.

If you want to be sure that this will not happen to you, follow these few simple rules:

Don’t place a wooden chopping board into the dishwasher. The continuous exposure to heat and water will cause it to deform.
Do not leave the wooden board to soak in water. The reasons are the same as the ones mentioned above.
Never use household cleaners. The proper way to clean a wooden cutting board is by using plenty of hot water, soap and a scrubbing brush or sponge. Use a damp cloth dipped in salt to rub it afterwards with circular motion. Your board will become lighter in colour.
You can put plastic cutting boards in the dishwasher, and this is the main benefit. They usually have more knife scars, which is a premise for lots of bacteria to hide in.
To eco-clean and disinfect your wooden board, wipe it with a cloth, dipped in white vinegar after using.
Scientific evidence shows that in cleaning, the volume of water matters more than anything, as it washes away bacteria and particles, so make sure you run it under lots of water and especially on scarred sections that are good at trapping food particles.
To remove any odour, use lemons to rub the board with. Just cut them in half and they are ready to use.
Never use the same chopping board for vegetables and raw meat. Contamination could occur when vegetables for a salad are cut on a board that was previously used for cutting raw chicken.

A clever solution would be buying cutting boards in two different colours so it’s easier to remember which is for raw meat and which is for everything else.

Most of the professional cleaners claim that it is a better decision to buy wooden boards, instead of plastic ones.

How do you clean your board? Do you have different boards for different jobs? Love you to share any of your tips below.

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80 Comments

- - mom101628 said
  - 20 Apr 2017
    4:35 pm
Great tips – I regularly clean with vinegar and rub lemon over in between.

- - rovermum said
  - 03 Apr 2017
    10:40 am
I do use lemon or vinegar to clean my wooden chopping boards. I’ve recently bought a set of coloured plastic boards and marked one specifically for chicken. This will be clean with hot water and dishwashing liquid.

- - Ellen said
  - 02 Apr 2017
    2:18 am
I use mostly white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to clean my cuttiñg board.

- - tessie said
  - 01 Apr 2017
    7:48 am
My wooden board is only used for bread. I have coloured boards for veges, meat, fish & chicken. the coloured ones go in the dishwasher and the wooden board only needs a quick wipe over with a wet cloth

- - cherz said
  - 31 Mar 2017
    7:24 pm
Good old lemon, salt and vinegar natural and super. thanks for your article.

- - robyn_smithwick said
  - 31 Mar 2017
    4:39 pm
These are good tips. Also with a wooden chopping board every now and then sand the top layer off to completely get rid of the furrows. . it works a treat. Of course you clean it well before using it .. lol!!!

- - rachel1970 said
  - 31 Mar 2017
    4:35 pm
Great tips, thanks for sharing

- - Mary said
  - 31 Mar 2017
    4:29 pm
We will see glass boards, are they a better option as the don’t get scratches or is wood always best? I know restaurants often have metal ones. This only covers plastic and wood.

- - rovermum said
  - 11 Jan 2017
    9:41 am
These are all great tips. I know of a few of them, but have learnt a few more. Thank you.

- - Ellen said
  - 11 Jan 2017
    8:12 am
Lemon and vinegar is what I use

- - ella12 said
  - 10 Jan 2017
    11:43 am
Thank you for sharing these great tips.

- - mom101628 said
  - 09 Jan 2017
    10:05 pm
Have lots of different coloured boards and use them efficiently.

- - Melissa89 said
  - 27 Jul 2016
    12:59 pm
Hmm maybe it is time we replaced our board :/

- - mom109229 said
  - 30 Sep 2015
    9:40 pm
This was an interesting mini article. Thanks for posting!

- - mom81879 said
  - 30 Sep 2015
    7:43 am
This is interesting. There have been a couple of questions on MoMs about how to clean boards and which one is best to buy

- - christial said
  - 29 Jun 2015
    9:06 pm
I always wonder if my chopping board is clean and hygienic.

- - EllenG89 said
  - 31 May 2015
    10:01 am
I have always used a wooden chopping board and am glad to say I follow these rules. Good read and reassurance

- - mom87771 said
  - 29 May 2015
    8:50 am
I scrub my boards with Jif, every now & then and then wash it again with standard dish washing liquid & very hot water. I use a plastic board for chicken & meat so you can wash it & then put it through the dish washer so it’s exposed to high temperatures, which will kill bacteria. And finally, I use one of those silver/gold non scratch dish cloths to wash the chicken/meat board, as the little bits of chicken/meat won’t stick to the top of the cloth, like the standard green/gold ones. Hope that’s helpful!!
- mom94125 replied
  
  19 Oct 2015 , 1:52 pm
  yeah crazy that it takes so much work to ensure it is all clean yet wipe over a toilet with bleach and it is clean
- - linaianna said
  - 28 May 2015
    8:37 pm
Thanks for the great read. Thanks for sharing

- - Jack said
  - 24 Apr 2015
    2:14 pm
Wooden is better if you do not plan to dishwash it.